Israeli forces demolish building under construction in Jerusalem

JERUSALEM (Ma'an) -- Israeli forces on Wednesday morning demolished a three-story building under construction in the occupied East Jerusalem neighborhood of al-Tur, locals told Ma'an.

Witnesses said that early on Wednesday, Israeli forces escorted bulldozers into al-Tur, where they surrounded the building and closed all roads leading toward it.

They reportedly tore down the building without telling its owners or giving any advance warning.

The building consisted of three stories, each comprising two apartments.

The Wadi Hilweh Information Center in Silwan said in its monthly report for February that the Israeli authorities appeared to be escalating home demolitions in East Jerusalem.

It said that in February, Israeli bulldozers had torn down 16 structures there, including three apartments under construction, parts of two houses, two barns, four tin shacks, three walls, a parking lot, and a garage.

Some 579 homes have been destroyed in East Jerusalem over the last twelve years, leaving 2,133 Palestinians homeless in total, according to Israeli rights group B'Tselem.

Israeli government policies make it nearly impossible for Palestinian residents of Jerusalem to obtain building permits, according to the Association for Civil Rights in Israel.